Improvement in signal-lanterns



G. WALTN & W. E. M'ERRILL.'

Signal-Lantern. v

N0.l64,351, Patentedlune8,l875.

F1G.1. FIG.2.

GEORGE WALTON AND WILLIAM E. MERRILL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN SIGNAL-LANTERNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 164,35 li dated June 8,1875; application filed March 22, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE WALToN and WILLLAM E. MERRILL, both ofCincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sign al-Li ghts, of which the following is aspecification:

Our invention relates to a device for enabling the pilot of a steamboator other water-craft, by means of visible signals, to indicate topersons on an approaching vessel which side of the channel he desires totake, thereby furnishing an additional means of communicating thedesired information at night or in foggy weather, and renderingcollisions less liable to occur than when indications by sound are alonedepended upon.

For the above purpose any two stronglycontrasted colors would serve, andwe have adopted for illustration those prescribed by the United Statesservice, namely, green for right and red for left.

Our device, when in its normalr conditionthat is to say, when no signalis being madeemits no light whatever, but is simply a darklantern. Assoon, however, as a vessel approaches, the pilot of the vessel carryingthe lantern has only to pull one of two cords to cause either a green ora red light to instantly flash forth, thereby indicating his intentionsof steering to the right or to the left by the color employed.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of ourlantern in its normal or closed condition, a portion of its base andshell being broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same fromfront to rear, with the ntern rotated to the left, so as to emit a redlight. Fig. 3 is a similar section, but with the lantern rotated to theright, so as to emit a green light. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section atthe line X X. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section at the line Y Y. Fig. 6 isa perspective view, showing the lantern detached from itssupporting-base and a portion of the shell broken away. Fig. 7represents a modification of the devices for supporting the rotatablescreen or lantern.

A represents a supporting base or curb, which may be made of anyappropriate material and of any suitable shape, but preferablycylindrical, as shown. Said base is furnished,

in front, with a door, a, whereby access can be had to the interior ofthis part of the apparatus when desired. Resting upon this base, andsecurely attached thereto, is a cylindrical jacket or.shell, B, withinwhich the operative parts ofthe apparatus are securely housed, so as tobe protected from the inclemencies of the weather. The front side ofthis shell is pierced with an'opening, b, for a purpose which willpresently appear. Applied to the upper end of jacket B is a detachablecap or cover, G, having a chimney, c, two external guards or hoods, D Dand an internal detlector, E. Secured to the'base A, by means of screwsf, or otherwise, is a circular hub, F, having an annular flange or rim,G, which projects horizontally therefrom. Said hub and ilange serve tocentralize and support the base-plate H of the lantern proper, I. Thisbase-plate is furnished with a central and circular opening, h, whichfits snugly around the iixed hub F. The screen or lantern proper I issimply a sheetmetal or other suitable cylindrical or polygonal member,whose top, J, is pierced at j, to permit the escape of smoke from theburner or other illuminating device. The lantern I has, ondiametrically-opposite sides of it, two windows of twodifferently-colored glassas, for example, a green one, K, and a red one,L. The lantern I has a door, M, that is situated between the windows Kand L, for the purpose of affording access to theilluminating device N.This device is here shown as a candle, such as ordinarily used uponrailroad-cars 5 but any appropriate form of lamp-burner or otherilluminating agent may be employed. The tubular sheath O, which containsthe candle, has a suitable reflector, o, attached to its rear side, soas to concentrate the rays of light toward the front part of thelantern. In order to prevent any rotation of this sheath, and tomaintain it in a proper axial position with reference to the frontopening, said sheath has a collar, R, secured to it, which collar isnotched at r, so as to fit snugly around the screws or bolts f of hub F.For the purpose of maintaining the lantern in its normal or closedcondition, we provide a weight, S, which is suspended, by a cord, s,from a pin, t, that projects horizontally from the base-plate H. Thiscord passes between two sheaves, T T', which occupy a slot, P, in thebase or curb A. Projecting downwardly from the base-plate H, and to theright of pin t, is a stud, U, having a cord, V, attached to it, whichcord passes around the hub F toward the rear of the apparatus, emergingthrough a slot, W, in jacket B, and, passing through a staple, ring,eye, or sheave, X, is thence carried astern far enough to be convenientto the pilot. Located to the left of pint is another stud, U', Whosecord, V', passes first through a slot, W', then through a sheave or itsequivalent, X', and is nally conducted back to the pilot-house like theother one.

The manner of arranging and manipulating our signal apparatus is asfollows: The curb A is fixed to the deck of the boat in such a way as topresent the opening b toward the bow, and the weight S is allowed toswing freely upon the cord s. As the pin t, to which the cord s issecured, is directly under the door M, it is apparent that the weight Shas a tendency to maintain the lantern I in such a position as to bringthe aforesaid door M opposite the opening b, thereby causing the WindowsK and L to be presented toward the opaque sides of the' jacket B, andconsequently to shut in the light. It' the pilot now wishes to indicateto an approaching vessel that he desires to steer to starboard, so thatthe other vessel will be on his port side, he has only to pull upon thecord V, so as to rotate the lantern I to the right, and allow the raysof light to pass through the green window K, as seen in Fig. 3. Havingdisplayed this green light for a suflicient length of time, he quits hishold of the cord, and the weight S, being then free to act, instantlyrotates the lantern to the left until its normal position is resumed andthe light cut oft'. On the other hand, should the pilot desire to signalthat he is going to port, so that the other vessel will pass on hisstarboard side, he pulls the other oord, V', thereby rotating thelantern f I to the left, and thus exposing the red window L opposite theopening b, as seen in Fig. 2.

From the above description it will be seen that our apparatus can beemployed either as a dark-lantern or else as a device for emitting twodiversely-colored signal-lights, thereby obviating the necessity ofemploying a separate and distinct lantern for each color.

The windows K and L, instead oi' being flat plates of glass, may bedioptric lenses of the Fresnel or other approved form.

The weight S may be omitted and a spring or a number of springs beemployed for maintaining the lantern in its closed condition, or thelantern may be rotated by means of gearing.y

The hub F and flange Gr may be dispensed with and their office be filledby rollers Z Z', as seen in Fig. 7.

A glass door may be hinged to the opening b of shell B.

The words "right7 and left as used in this specification have referenceto the positions of mal position When the operating-cord is released,substantially as described.

In testimony of which invention we hereunto set our hands.

GEO. WALTON. WILLIAM E. MERRILL.

Attest:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, JAMEs H. LAYMAN.

